Hi faberfour, "$28 for shipping is exorbitant" -- Actually, no it's not... The 2 gallon bottles of TG Mineral Blend nutrient concentrate are heavy and must be shipped in a heavy duty box that complies with "Hazmat Limited Quantities" regulations. The pH adjustment solutions (ACID & BASE bottles) are not as heavy but also must comply with "Hazmat Limited Quantities" regulations. The weight of these liquids and compliance requirements add to the shipping cost.

pH adjustment solutions are available from both JP+ and from 3rd party sources such as Amazon. The cost savings is minimal. You'd be better off purchasing them from JP+ so you can count it as one of three items you need to get the 30% discount hciancioso mentioned above.

Hi faberfour, GH MaxiGro is not a direct replacement for TG Mineral Blend. Without a doubt, there are Pros and Cons associated with using either in the TG. If you do the research, understand the nutrient chemistry, know what you are getting into and still want to experiment, here is a link to GH MaxiGro:

Do you think it is as effective as the TG Nutrient solution? Are you getting the same results in your TG? Any problems with plants wilting, dying. etc.? I went online to Amazon; saw that the same company also has liquid nutrient solutions. Have you tried any of those? Would LOVE to hear your response!

Honestly I can't compare the Maxigro to the TG nutrients, as I have never used the JP+/TG stuff in my tower. I bought the tower second-hand locally, and the nutrients were several years old, so I just tossed them out. Nor have I used the General Hydroponics liquid nutrients, only the powder.

I'm very happy with the Maxigro - I've used it exclusively for 6 months and just keep topping up the reservoir @ 1 tsp/gallon of water. Lettuce matures in ~30 days, then I can harvest it for ~2 weeks until it bolts. Watercress, parsley and basil are thriving like crazy; still harvesting off the original plants for several months now. Spinach requires a bit more patience/effort but my younger son loves it, so I plant 9 seeds per block and just replace when it bolts. I also have a short-cycle timer 1minON/5minsOFF, so I think that helps keep the roots happy.

I suspect you're going to have a difficult time comparing the ingredients of any two hydroponic nutrient solutions. There is a lot of vague marketing-speak and green-washing "proprietary blend of minerals"-type statements. There is no FDA-mandated ingredient label on hydro nutrients like there is on a package of food. I tend to be pragmatic in my approach - "does it work?" - YUP! GH MG works for me. If you do try it, post back and let others know how it goes for ya

OK; decided I am going to try the GH 'Flora' trio. (FloraGro, FloraMicro and FloraBloom because I have greens and herbs, but also have some 'fruiting' vegetable plants in hydroponic pots, too. Will let you know how it goes!

My gripe is that you can't purchase the PH Testing solution by itself -- you have to purchase the PH UP & DOWN to get that stupid little bottle of testing solution. Makes no sense. My PH UP is the only 1 I ever use and I have a year's worth of THAT remaining. I mean why would I want to get those again?

You can buy the testing solution - from a variety of manufacturers - on Amazon or at a pet store that sells aquariums and supplies.

Amazon also has digital pH readers, some as low as $13.00, which eliminates the need for the testing solution.

Darlene

DO NOT use pH testing kits from pet stores. They will not work correctly for hydroponics. ONLY use testing kits for hydroponic systems or a good quality digital pH meter. This is one area that you don't want to skimp on. I went through several of those $19 pH meters in a few months because they break and they're not waterproof. This is the best pH meter I've ever owned so far and it's waterproof. You can replace the probes which is VERY important. This will last you a lifetime.

I ran into the same issue with the pH testing kit and found this one on Amazon. It does the job. I simply use the vial from the original TG testing kit as the one included doesn't mark the 10ml of water you need to test. It's easy using that 10 ml of water to one drop of solution and it's going to last a ridiculously long time which is great! And if you have Amazon Prime shipping is free.

Also appreciate this thread as I've been looking into purchasing tonic locally. We have two independent hydroponic retailers in the area so was going to explore as I too am not thrilled with the shipping fees which I understand is not solely on Juice Plus+.

Hi jsheehan, Just a friendly word of caution... when it comes to liquid pH test kits, never intermix components of pH test kits... especially the test indicator solutions and/or color charts. Always make sure to use the exact amount of test indicator drops called out on the label. Never reduce the drops-to-water ratio.

joed yes I'm well aware. The Amazon testing kit comes with a container/vial that doesn't indicate how many mls it holds where as the one that came with the Tower does. There's no intermixing going on, as I mentioned above simply swapping out the container which does not affect the testing whatsoever.

Hi jsheehan, Awesome! It was your "using that 10 ml of water to one drop of solution" that caught my eye and raised a concern. The typical wide-range liquid test kits out there typically call for a 5 ml sample and 3 to 5 drops of test indicator solution.